Daily Bread: Sometimes we end up doing things we aren’t proud of, as we try to get our daily needs met. There are times when we spend every waking moment trying to make sure all our needs are fulfilled for that day. Life can become a rat race, as we labor to make enough money to pay our “daily” bills.

Give us today: All the people who haven’t allowed God to be their heavenly Father are responsible for all their needs every day of their lives. If they are going to get anything for that day, it is going to have to come through their own efforts. There usually isn’t enough hours in a day for them to reach their goals. Even those who are rich are driven by deep desires for more. They can’t hoard enough money to make them happy; and they can’t spend enough money to satisfy the craving in their heart.

Different people pursue joy and happiness in different ways; but, everyone wants to be happy. Most people pursue these two things by earning money so they can buy the things they THINK will make them happy. If you choose to pray this portion of this prayer, you will be asking God to start directing you into HIS SYSTEM for getting your daily needs met, and, for solving your problem with getting joy and happiness.

If you are willing to give God permission, He will place joy and happiness in you before your day begins. You will be happy all day long no matter what is going on in your life and the world around you. Your day will have what everyone is seeking without you having to pursue it. Then God will show you a plan for getting your daily needs met without having to hurt yourself, your family, your friends, your business associates, or the strangers you cross paths with.

Once you allow God to fill your heart, mind, and life with joy and happiness, from that moment on, you will be getting your needs met. And, it won’t be because you are trying to get them met so you can be happy. God will help you get your needs met and will bless and prosper you. However, you will already be filled with joy and happiness independent of all those blessings. This joy and happiness will get you on the right path for being able to address your difficulties with drugs in a very positive way.

You, like all the rest of us humans, have done things that have hurt people. In some cases you didn’t mean to, in others you did. There have been times when you couldn’t identify with other’s situations and you said and did things that damaged them. There have been times when you were insensitive to their needs and problems. They tried to reach out to you and you couldn’t or wouldn’t help; God calls this behavior sin. We have all contracted this spiritual disease of sin.

We hurt people because we are damaged or infected ourselves; part of the problems you are having with drugs are coming because of this damage from this infection. God understands that we can’t help ourselves. He knows we are going to continue to hurt people because we have all contracted the spiritual disease of sin. He knows that, if left alone untreated, sin is going to keep on making us worse. No matter how hard we try, we are going to mistreat ourselves and more and more people.

God isn’t upset with the fact that we sin; the Bible says He responded to our condition of sin with love. At a time when we were all infected with this sin disease, He demonstrated His love for us by dying for our sins. Let Jesus explain to you what He did concerning the deeds you have committed against yourself and others: 1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God says pretty much the same thing in Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God isn’t going to judge ANYONE because they are a sinner; He is going to judge them IF they reject Jesus as their cure. That is because EVERYONE has a way of being set free from sinning. Jesus has provided a way for ALL OF US to stop sinning against ourselves and all the people around us; but, some won’t accept the cure. By praying all of these parts of this prayer that Jesus provided, you are accepting the cure; and, by accepting the cure you are making it possible for you to start winning over your difficulties with drugs.